The Bad Boy Lives Next Door
by exhaustible
Summary: He was intimidating, careless, and a badass. She was innocent, sarcastic, and clumsy. He made her nervous, and she drove him mad. They lived right beside each other, but on two different planets. Both led normal lives, that is, until complications arose that left the two teenagers questioning their thoughts and feelings. And it all started with a missing dog.
1. I

"Charlie!" I brought my two hands to my mouth and yelled as loud as I could. Charlie, my dog, was missing _again_. I knew he wasn't really missing. He just sometimes found a way to get out of the house. He usually lingered around the neighborhood for a while until I dragged him back to the house. "Charlie! Here dog!"

Walking along the stone pavement, I yelled over and over again, hoping I would hear Charlie's usual bark as he raced towards me. I wasn't afraid of where he was. It was a safe neighborhood. The problem was me. I was in no mood to go looking at seven in the morning.

I inwardly groaned and walked up to Ms. Carter's door. She opened the door after I knocked rather _loudly_. I didn't care, though. I knew she hated my guts. And in all honestly, it made me chuckle.

She threw me an annoyed look. "What do you want, kid? It's seven in the morning! Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Have you, by any chance, seen Charlie anywhere today?" I asked, completely ignoring her complaints. "He got out again."

"No, he did not get out _again_," she raised her voice. "You're just so careless with your dog. That's what the problem is. Buzz off, I have not seen your pet anywhere."

"Okay, thank-" she slammed the door shut. "-you."

"Grumpy old bat." I muttered, walking to the house right beside mine. Sighing, I rang the doorbell, my eyes trained on the small birdhouse beside the door. I stared at it for what seemed like forever, watching it intently with my brown eyes.

"May I help you?"

I jumped at the sound. I had a habit of zoning out. I just sort of lost myself at times. "Oh, yes, have you, by any chance, seen a – oh my, God!"

A boy, my age, stood at the doorway, in nothing but a white towel wrapped around his waist. His chest was exposed. He had blonde hair, which was dripping with water. The boy raised an eyebrow at me as he dried his hair off with another towel.

I squealed in embarrassment and covered my eyes with my two hands, blocking the view. "Erm, sir, I-I-my dog got out. Have you s-seen him? Oh my, God. He has light brown fur."

I felt something touch my hands, and it gently lowered them away from my eyes. I bit my lip, hoping I wouldn't blurt out something embarrassing. That was another habit.

"Okay, why do you look scared? You're hyperventilating. I suggest you calm down. But anyways, I haven't seen your dog. Good luck finding him."

I stayed still, observing him. He had brown eyes from what I saw. His lips were pressed in a tight line. His jawline fractured his face perfectly, and not to mention his chiseled body. I grew hot red when he noticed me staring, as I hadn't moved an inch from my spot.

"Okay, thank you!" I whirled around and ran away as quickly as possible to my house. It felt as thought he was still staring at me with that weird look on his face, even after I had slammed my front door shut. I touched my burning forehead and groaned. I had embarrassed myself (as usual) in front of a boy. It was no surprise. I plopped down on the kitchen stool and gave my Mom a nervous smile.

She laughed. "Don't worry. Charlie came back all on his own once you left searching for him. Alison, you know you have to watch over your dog. You nagged and nagged until we got you the little rascal."

"I know, Mom, I know," I said. "Last time, I promise. I gotta get to school. Don't wanna be late."

"Alison, you're a good kid," she handed me a pop tart. "But you have to let loose sometimes, okay, kiddo?"

I playfully rolled my eyes at her. "Goodbye, Mother."

Biting on my chocolate pop tart, I unlocked my car and climbed in, throwing my bag on the passenger seat. I closed the door as the engine roared to life. Nibbling on my small breakfast, I drove out of the driveway and continued to school.

I sang along to The Beatles. It had always been my favorite band. I remember the first time I had ever listened to them. I was about eleven years old. Yeah, I guess you could say I was a cool kid.

I parked my car in the school's parking lot. Shouldering my bag, I walked with the flood of students down the hallway to get to class. While walking, I passed by a couple of squealing girls. I flinched at their loud fangirling.

_"Oh my, God, did you see him?"_

_"Yes! He is so hot. I am so going to try to get his number!"_

_"He looks so badass. I so want to hook up with him."_

I'm guessing there was a new kid at school, and assuming from the loud squealing and the use of the _he_ pronoun, the newbie was hot. I chuckled under my breath and made my way into English.

"Hey, Trish," I smiled at my Latina friend. She looked up from her phone. "You know you're not supposed to have your phone in class."

She gave me a flat look. "I know, and it's why I'm using it. I mean, we need to have our phones out at all costs. What if there was a choking kid?"

"That's why we have a nurse." I laughed. She rolled her eyes at me and put away her phone. "You are such a party pooper."

I flipped my hair back dramatically. "And that's why you love me, Trish. It's one of my many talents."

"Well, we need to find you new hobbies," Trish stated. "And fast." I rolled my eyes at her and focused on my book. It wasn't long till everyone stopped talking to gasp. The room fell silent. Not one source of sound was audible. I arched my eyebrows in confusion, and decided it was time to see what the hell was going on.

I looked up from my book, instantly regretting the choice I made. I held my breath as I stared at the same boy I encountered half-naked in the morning. He stood there, staring at everyone nonchalantly. I quickly ducked and prayed to God he wouldn't notice me.

"Class," Mr. Williams spoke up, clearing his throat. "This is Austin Moon, our new student at Marino."

I inwardly groaned. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

I practically ran out of the classroom when the third bell rang. It was lunchtime, and I couldn't be any happier. I was being suffocated in there for three whole hours. Austin caught my eye, and glanced at me here and there with a suspicious look on his face. He was trying to see if I were that weird neighbor girl that screamed in his face in the morning.

Could you blame me? He was _half-naked_ – emphasis on _half-naked_.

I caught up with Trish as we stood in line to get our lunch. My concerns decreased, as I knew he wouldn't spot me with all the students hustling about in the cafeteria. After Trish and I picked our lunch, we sat down at our usual spot and made conversation.

"So, what'd you think of Austin Sun?" Trish casually asked, twirling a french fry around the splatter of ketchup.

I bit back laughter. "It's Austin Moon, Trish, not Sun. I can see why you're confused." She waved a hand at me, not caring. I smiled at her. "I don't know, actually – about Austin, I mean. It's not like I talked to him or anything…Um, he's new and all, and he's already got everyone at his feet."

Trish didn't say anything.

"That's not even fair!" I spoke up a few seconds later. "It's just his first day at Marino and everyone adores him, because of his _looks_. He already has friends…and he's sitting alone at a table."

I furrowed my eyebrows, and so did Trish. "Maybe he hates company. Have you seen the guy? He's so…mysterious."

I shook my head. "Well, I don't even care. I'm not even going to talk to him. He looks like bad news. Look at the way he's dressed! He walks around the school without a care in the world."

Trish shoved a few fries in her mouth. "This is also me not caring anymore."

* * *

School was over.

I hated spending another second when it was time to leave the school premises. I liked rushing back home to see my parents, and Charlie, and what my Mom had cooked. Yeah, it was mostly the food. I hadn't eaten anything during lunchtime. I was too busy thinking.

And another habit. Surprised?

I ran down the long hallway, and quickly made a turn. Bad choice. I hit something solid, and it sent me toppling backwards. Having nothing to hold on to, I fell on my butt. Being clumsy wasn't new to me.

Believe me, I was much worse than that.

"Twice in a day, huh?" a familiar voice said. "Must be fate. Let me help you up."

I bit the inside of my cheek, and grabbed Austin's hand. He pulled me up, and I really hoped my face wasn't red. I wasn't tan. It was totally embarrassing when I went red. I looked like a tomato in need of oxygen.

I fiddled with my hands. "Erm, thank you, goodbye!"

"Hold on," he said. "You're the girl that knocked on my door this morning, right? I knew I had seen you from somewhere."

I gulped. "I-I really have to go right now."

He stared at me, no expression on his face. He shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking away. "See you around, Beatles girl."

I let out a sigh of relief, and then looked down at my Beatles shirt. It was better if he didn't know my name at all. I had to avoid the guy. He was intimidating. I mean I couldn't even string a sentence around him. He had everyone wrapped around his finger, and it was only his first day of school, and he also chose to sit alone at lunch. Trish was right. He sure was mysterious.

* * *

"How was school today?" Mom asked. It was a routine – a usual question she repeatedly asked. I come home, greet my parents, and they proceed to bombard me with questions.

"It was okay, I guess," I said. "Nothing really interesting happened." I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat, playing with my steak. "There's this new kid at school, though. He's a senior like me."

Dad smiled at me. "What's the kid's name?"

"Austin Moon," I replied. I speared an asparagus and chewed on it. "He's very quiet, but everyone loved him. Can you believe that? Everyone liked him because he's handsome. They're so stereotypical. It's horrible."

Mom laughed. "Austin Moon, yes, I talked to his Mother today. They live right next door. They moved in yesterday," I nodded at her in amusement. I had figured that out already. "And they're having dinner at our place tomorrow night."

I fought the urge to do a spit-take, considering I had gulped down my water when my Mom decided to break the news. I choked a little. My parents stared at me with worry in their eyes.

"Honey, are you okay?" Dad asked.

I batted a hand at him and smiled innocently. "Just fine, Dad. I better drink slowly from now on. You said they're having dinner at our place?" Mom nodded at me. "Tomorrow night?" She nodded again. "Oh joy!"

They smiled at me and chattered on about tomorrow and work and whatever parents talked about these days. I, on the other hand, stayed seated. I couldn't hold a conversation with Austin for more than one second, how was I supposed to survive sitting at the same dining table with our parents? You just had to be neighborly, Mom!

I had to survive tomorrow night just like a person who needed to survive a zombie apocalypse. It was going to be a long night, and I just needed to keep my mouth shut to survive. That was it.

Hopefully, Austin comes down with a serious case of the stomach flu and his parents would need to stay with him, and so the dinner would be canceled.

But that obviously was not going to happen.

"Hey, Mom? Did Austin's mom tell you why they moved here?" I was always a curious person. I needed to know everything, and if someone didn't tell me, I would get really upset and take matters into my own hands.

"Apparently, Austin vandalized his old principal's car and always caused chaos at his previous school," Mom answered. "He caused a lot of trouble, actually; ditched school, got into fights, vandalized school property…He got suspended, and that's why his Mom had to move him from New York to Florida."

I slowly nodded. They resumed talking. I inhaled deeply and thought things over. Apparently, I was living right next to someone who got suspended. I was living right next to violent person. I was living right next to an intimidating guy.

How sweet.

The bad boy lives next door.


	2. II

I made sure to lock my balcony door and close the blinds. Now that I knew the notorious bad boy lived next door, I paid extra attention before I went to bed. What if he was a pervert who secretly liked to watch women or girls undress? I sure as hell wasn't going to have that.

Okay, maybe I didn't pay extra attention the next morning. My balcony doors were wide open - the blinds, too. I was fully dressed, jumping up and down on my bed. In my hand was my hairbrush. I was using it as a microphone as I sang along to The Ramones. I danced and sang like there was no tomorrow, and once I saw a mop of blonde hair not far from my balcony, I screamed and fell off the bed. Austin was leaning against his balcony's doorway, his arms crossed, an amused look on his face.

I mumbled a string of curses as I scrambled to get to my feet. I tried to walk to my balcony doors, but I tripped over my hairbrush and fell again.

"Alison, are you all right in there?" I heard my Mom ask.

"Oh, don't worry, Mom!" I yelled. "I'm…perfectly fine! I just tripped, that is all. Be right down in a minute!"

I got up and avoided Austin's gaze. Grabbing the doors' handles, I slammed them shut and quickly closed the blinds. Sighing in relief, I leaned against the doors and mentally slapped myself for the total humiliation I just caused myself. No more jumping up and down on the bed for you, Ally.

Amazing.

It was Austin's second day, and I had already embarrassed myself _three_ times. No biggie! I had never met such a stupid person such as myself in all of the seventeen years I had spent on Earth.

Unbelievable.

* * *

"Wait, so what you're saying is that Austin's actually going to have dinner at your place tonight," Trish said. "Even when you embarrassed yourself three times in front of him? I can't believe you actually saw him half-naked!"

She howled in laughter. "It's not funny, Trish!" I crossed my arms and gave her a flat look. "It's horrible! I'm sure my parents will want me to make conversation with him, but it seems like I can't without embarrassing myself."

She put a hand on my shoulder. "I pity you, Ally."

"Have you guys seen my pet chicken?" Dez piped in. Ah, Dez. He was an…interesting guy. His clothes were always mixed and colorful, and he carried a backpack that contained things he wouldn't ever use – like ham, or an anchor. Nevertheless, he was still a really good friend.

"Dez, why do you even have a pet chicken?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes at me. "If you can have a pet dog, I sure as hell can have a pet chicken! It's not weird, right?"

Trish and I shook our heads no. "No, definitely not."

He gave us a cheeky smile, and then walked away, calling out his chicken's name. I playfully rolled my eyes at him and smiled. "That's one weird kid."

"Come on, let's get to Gym," Trish said once the bell rang. Gym. It was the worst subject ever to be created. I absolutely despised it. I wished it were an option. But it wasn't. If you refused to play, the coach would make you run fifty laps with no stopping. It was horrible. I had to do that once!

After we all changed into our uniforms, we sat on the metallic benches, waiting for the coach. I really hoped we would play a simple game. I didn't want to go home battered and bruised.

"All right!" the coach yelled, blowing his whistle. "We're going to be playing a friendly game of basketball. Abby, pick your team first. Sarah, you're up next. Losers take it to the showers!"

My stomach churned. If we lost – which I was a hundred percent sure of – we would have to shower _at_ school. Oh dear God. I didn't like that idea. The janitors didn't bother cleaning it. It was, what, unused for about ten years or something like that? How many germs were even in there?

"Ally, why do you look like you've just seen a ghost?" Trish asked, cocking an eyebrow.

I just shook my head at her, giving her a weak smile. I ended up on Sarah's team, Trish on the other. I was kind of upset I wouldn't get to chat with Trish while the other girls chased after the ball as if their life depended on it. The coach didn't allow people on opposing teams to chat and talk. Do you see my problem? He wanted us to be tough…and I was anything _but_ tough.

Coach blew the whistle.

Everyone began attacking each other just to get the ball. I chose to stand far away from them. Some of them even shrieked, probably because they broke a nail. I laughed. Trish looked really uninterested. Halfway through the game, the boys entered the gym and sat at the benches to watch us. I spotted Abby quickly fix her hair, putting on her _sexy_ face. I laughed again.

Sarah rolled her eyes and pushed past Abby. Abby got really angry, which wasn't really a surprise. She grabbed Sarah's hair, yanking her back, and immediately began yelling in her face. "Why the hell did you push me? Do you honestly know who you're dealing with?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Stop being a bitch and get your head in the game. It's always the same. When boys enter, you fix your hair and pretend you're royalty, when you're actually not."

"Excuse me?" Abby shrieked.

"Will you stop shrieking already? Or am I going to have to punch you in the nose job you had done when you were eleven?"

I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing at Sarah's remark. I quickly covered it up by a cough. Everything was cool. All the girls stopped playing to watch Abby and Sarah argue. I looked over at coach. His face was red, and I swear, you could almost see smoke rising from his ears.

He blew his whistle again. "What are you girls doing? Focus on the game! You only have fifteen seconds left!"

Everybody ignored him as Abby and Sarah continued throwing profanities at each other. The rest watched – including the boys. They looked amused and kept whistling at them. I rolled my eyes and quickly made a grab for the basketball while they had their cat fight. No one even noticed. The score was tied, and my heart was already beating. What the hell was I actually about to do? I _sucked_ at sports.

_It's worth a shot, Ally. _

"Seven, six, five…" Coach was counting down the seconds until the game was over.

Quickly panicking, I threw the ball in the net's direction. The Gym fell silent. The girls realized they had zoned out. The ball rolled over the edge three times before it fell in. My mouth fell open in surprise.

Coach blew the whistle three times, signalling the game was over. "Sarah's team wins!" He smirked at Abby. "Hit the showers – you and your team."

Blowing his precious whistle for the last time, he left the Gym smirking victoriously. I had a feeling he wasn't entirely fond of Abby. She used to threaten him and his job. She did that – threatened people to get what she wanted.

Sarah smiled at me and patted me hard on the back. "Good job, Ally! You saved us back there!"

I saw Trish wink at me before disappearing into the bathroom. Now _I_ pitied her.

* * *

I was walking home today. My mom had to use the car to go grocery shopping for tonight's dinner with the Moons. Just thinking about tonight made me want to hang myself. I was definitely not looking forward to it. Keeping my eyes glued to the book I was currently reading, I walked past the houses in my neighborhood. All of them almost looked the same. People got confused sometimes. I knew I did.

I heard footsteps behind me. I shook it off. It was probably one of my neighbors. I actually knew all of them. The neighborhood was small and safe, but not that friendly (_coughmscartercough_). Curiosity got the best me of, though – it always did. I looked up from my book and slowly turned my head around. I was still walking down the sidewalk. Austin was tapping away on his phone, too focused to realize I was staring. I bit my lip and whirled around so fast that I didn't see the grey trashcan, and I fell in it.

Well.

At least it was empty.

"So much for being subtle," I muttered.

I felt someone walk towards me – well, to the trashcan in this case. "Are you usually this clumsy, Beatles girl?"

Austin pulled me out and gave me the weirdest look he could ever muster. It wasn't my fault I didn't pay attention to things! But how could I just _fall_ into a trashcan? Was that even possible? I played a mean game of embarrassing myself other than basketball. I'm just gonna go ahead and say that shot during Gym wasn't by luck – it was by skill. No one could stop me from saying that. _No one._

I cleared my throat, my face beet red. "No?"

"Well, you don't really show it," He said. "I think you should be more careful unless you want to end up in the ER."

"I did once," I blurted out. "I fell off my tree house when I was nine. I forgot that my father hadn't built a railing so I leaned against, well, _nothing_, and I fell to my almost demise. Actually, I just broke my leg. But you see—"

Austin clamped a hand over my mouth. "Okay, Beatles girl, you sure do rant a lot – and you do it fast." I licked his hand. He shot me an annoyed look and removed his hand, waving it in the air in a disgusted manner. "Did you just lick my hand?"

"I do _not_ rant," I exclaimed. "It's called normal talking. You and Trish are exactly the same! You do not understand the concept of talking. I don't rant, okay, buddy? I simply string more than one sentence and just mix them together—"

"You're doing it again," He deadpanned. "And thank you, by the way, for your saliva donation. I almost ran out."

I huffed and crossed my arms. "You're welcome."

I pushed past him and walked, tripping over the heel of my converse. I caught my balance, and then straightened my jacket as if nothing happened. I shuddered at the thought of how I was going to successfully embarrass myself during dinner.

"See you at dinner, Beatles girl," I heard Austin yell.

_It's Ally._

* * *

"Ally! Come down, the Moons are here!" Mom yelled from downstairs. I abruptly stopped playing the piano, creating an awful sound.

"You're so lucky you're a dog, Charlie," I pouted at him. He barked in response.

Looking at myself one more time in the mirror, I sighed and trudged downstairs.

A woman about my Mom's age stood at the door, Austin standing behind her. She had curly, blonde hair that fell just below her shoulders. Austin was just a replica of his mother, except in male form. They had the same features. Was being physically attractive a thing in their family?

"Hi," I simply said, giving the woman a huge smile.

"You must be Alison," She gushed. "Oh, you're just so beautiful, dear! I'm Mimi."

"It's very nice to meet you," I said, extending a hand forward. She gave me the same huge smile and shook my hand. "Ah, Penny, your daughter is very polite, unlike my little Austin here. Well say hi, Austin."

Mimi ruffled Austin's hair and laughed. He blushed and looked at his feet. "Hi."

Mimi rolled her eyes at her son and followed my Mom and Dad into the dining room. My parents were awfully in a good mood tonight. Whenever a new person moved into the neighborhood, my mother baked something nice and handed it in, and my father invited them over for lunch or dinner. These were my parents, and I didn't know if I should be proud or not. They were really good at embarrassing me, but it wasn't like I didn't do a good job at it anyway.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I found myself staring at Austin, and he stared back. I shook my head and headed into the dining room.

"Mom, should I help you with anything?" I asked. She shook her head at me. "No, everything's handled, sweetie. Have a seat." I sat down. Austin copied my actions and sat across me. I tried my best to avoid him, and I could see he was trying to do so, too.

"Dig in. " Dad smiled.

* * *

What did parents even talk about these days? I couldn't really figure it out. Leaning against the palm of my hand, I stared back and forth as my parents and Austin's Mother laughed over something I didn't understand. I glanced at Austin. He looked extremely bored. It made me wonder, though. His dad was nowhere in sight, and it left me thinking.

"I remember when Ally used to drag us into the living room just to play us something on the piano," Mom bragged, her eyes gleaming with happiness. "She used to write twenty minute songs about candy and sing them to us."

Mimi laughed. "Austin and his older brother, Alex, used to drag…his father and I down into the basement. They put on a show for us, and played the guitar and keyboard, and sang, even if they didn't know what they were doing."

I realized something. When Mimi mentioned her husband (and obviously Austin's dad), Austin scowled, his face hardening, and clenched his fist. I threw him a confused look, but he didn't look at me.

"Why couldn't your husband be here?" Dad asked.

She gave them a weak smile. "Uh, Mike and I divorced not long ago. It's just Austin and I. Alex is away at college in New York."

"Oh, I am terribly sorry," Mom said.

Mimi waved a hand dismissively. "It's all right, don't worry about it. It's normal." She laughed. I actually felt bad for her. She sounded so upset, even if she tried to cover it.

"You know," Dad changed the subject. "We have an album dedicated just for Ally. It's just pictures of her when she was a toddler growing up. Would you want to look at it?"

"I'd love that!" Mimi said. "We have an album for Alex and Austin, but they don't let me take it out."

I nervously laughed and tapped my fingers against the table, fighting off the urge to kill my father. "I don't, too. Uh, it's not really necessary right now. Really. You don't have to go get the album from the attic. Isn't that right, Mom?"

"Nonsense!"

My shoulders sagged, and I began panicking. I had really embarrassing pictures of me…and I was even naked in some of them. I was going to murder my parents.

"Great!" I said through gritted teeth.

* * *

"Oh my goodness, you were such an adorable baby!" Mimi exclaimed. "You were so cute, Ally dear! Don't you think so, Austin?"

I groaned and put my head in my hands, waiting till this dinner thing was over. I didn't embarrass myself at all. My parents were doing the job just fine. Austin kept smirking as he flipped through the album. "Oh, definitely. She was cute as a button."

I glared at him.

"I'm going to go clean the table up," I said, faking a smile. I guess I was murdering someone other than my parents tonight. They laughed as they came across another picture. I piled the dishes on top of each other and cautiously carried them into the kitchen. I set them down in the sink and huffed.

"I guess we both have officially seen each other half-naked. It's souvenir-worthy," Austin sauntered into the kitchen. I looked at him with an inquisitive expression. "What-What do you mean by that?"

"Your parents just showed us a picture of you butt-naked," Austin innocently smiled, although I could see he was trying to annoy me. "Should I scream in your face or?"

"Oh, piss off!" I said, raising my hands in exasperation. "Do you always answer the door with nothing but a towel on? You just…_scared_ me."

Austin nodded at me. "Right."

"Austin, sweetie, it's time to leave! Say goodbye to the Dawsons!" Mimi yelled. Austin shoved his hands in his pockets. "Goodbye, Beatles girl."

"It's Ally," I deadpanned. "Ally. Not Beatles girl."

He leaned in a little, his hands placed on the counter. "I think I'll just stick to _Beatles girl_."

I glared at his back as he left the kitchen. I followed him out and waved goodbye to Mimi. They may have looked the same, but their personalities were living on two different planets, I swear.

"Such a lovely family," Mom sighed, heading upstairs. Dad kissed me on the forehead and smiled. "Don't stay up too late, okay, sweetie?"

I nodded at him. Picking up the album, I flipped through it. Every transparent case was filled with pictures, that is, until I came across a blank one. I gasped and dropped the album.

"_I guess we both have officially seen each other half-naked. It's souvenir-worthy."_

His words echoed through my head. He stole it, didn't he? I was almost positive he did that imbecile.

Yes, he actually did.

Austin Moon stole a butt-naked picture of me. My eye twitched in horror. What a lovely souvenir for him to keep.

* * *

**Okay, first off, I want to thank all of you so so much. I just couldn't believe the positive feedback I got. It was amazing. I'm really glad you guys liked both Austin and Ally's character. You'll be seeing more dorky moments from Ally, and more brooding moments from Austin, haha. **

**Oh, and, I'm actually working on a trailer for this story. What do you guys think about it? **

**Thank you so much again!**


	3. III

"How was school today, hun?" I told you it was a daily question. I never lied. You can't prove that was a lie, either. I smiled at Mother. "It was an interesting day, I guess. I mean, nothing new happened."

"Are you hanging out with Austin?" Mom asked, pulling out the casserole from the oven.

I snorted, but covered it up. "No, Mom, of course not. I told you two days ago that Austin was already admired and loved by the popular kids at school. The thing is, Austin chooses to sit alone, which is really weird."

Mom shrugged and took off the kitchen mittens. "Hmm, that sounds weird to me, too. Anyways, I need you to take this casserole to Mimi and her son. I decided to cook something up for them."

"Are you kidding me?" I exclaimed. "Mom, do you really expect me to take this? I'll end up eating it before I get to the door! I refuse, woman! I will not let you sacrifice this pan of heaven. I just won't!"

She rolled her eyes at me. "Have you ever considered taking part in a play? You're very dramatic, and I think you'd get the lead role." She put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, I made two pans of heaven."

She handed me the food and winked at me. The top was covered with tin foil. The aroma hit my nostrils, and I quickly let out a string of low whimpers as I tried my hard not to eat the whole darn thing. Taking a deep breath, I left through the front door, and prayed that his Mom would answer. I still couldn't believe he stole a picture of me. I was butt-naked, too, which made me even more nervous. It was embarrassing, and I kept thinking about the bad possibilities of a bad boy having a picture of a naked three year-old. Was he going to post it all over Twitter? All over the school's personal website? I would be the laughing stock of the year. I shuddered.

I shook the thoughts away and rang the doorbell.

"Beatles girl," Austin greeted. "How nice of you to stop by."

I had to stop myself from staring at him. He wore a white shirt that clung to his chiseled body. You could clearly see a six-pack in there. He had the same features any bad boy would have. He was this troublemaker, and it fit his whole bad boy character. Seeing that he had a jacket on, my thoughts jumped to his tattoos. Oh, yes, he had tattoos. When I first saw him half-naked, I didn't even realize that because I was too nervous. But he did. And I wasn't the least bit surprised.

"Done staring?" Austin smirked.

I bit my lip. "H-Here. My Mom made a casserole for you and your Mom." I handed him the pan, and he took it, his fingers brushing against mine. I panicked and let go of the pan immediately. Austin bent down a little because of the weight, grunting in response. I wasn't used to a guy touching me. He quickly held on to the pan and straightened his posture. "What's your problem? I could have almost dropped it."

I grew hot red. "S-Sorry."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Is that all, Beatles girl? You look like you're about to faint. Should I call an ambulance or something?"

"No!" I squeaked. "No, I'm perfectly fine. I'm just…It's a hot day, don't you think? It's a perfect day to go to the beach…erm, I-I hope you guys like the casserole."

"You rant when you're nervous," He spoke. "And you're clearly nervous." Austin placed the pan on a table next to the door. He smirked at me again and leaned in a little. "What's gotten you so hyped up today, Beatles girl?"

I said nothing.

"Can I see your tattoos?" I blurted out.

Austin stood still, processing the question I had blurted out of the blue. It wasn't my fault. I got too nervous around boys, and I usually would have scared them off by now. I ranted and asked irrelevant questions. That was what I did around boys. So they all took a hint and decided to leave the geeky girl alone.

He slowly took off his signature leather jacket, and I thought I caught a glimpse of a V line. My eyes widened once I took in the sight of his tattoos. He had a sleeve, meaning there were tattoos all over his arm, from shoulder to wrist.

"Holy mother of cheese balls," I exclaimed. Swallowing hard, I stared at the permanent and dark colored pictures on his arm. They were amazing. I had always wanted a small tattoo, but I never dared to ask my parents. I mean, they thought of me as the quiet good girl, and it was true…although one tattoo wouldn't hurt.

Scientifically speaking though, getting a tattoo would hurt, depending on the place a person wants his or her tattoo to be in, _and_ the person's pain tolerance. I had searched about that once…I was extremely bored, okay?

"Did it hurt?" I asked.

Austin shrugged. "A little when I got my first tattoo, but I got used to it by then. What do you think? Too scared to look at it or?" He winked.

"I am not scared!" I protested. "I think they're cool…and really painful to get." He grinned at me. "So, you wouldn't mind getting a tattoo?" I put a finger to my chin. "I don't think I would ever get a tattoo. I would just ruin my reputation of being the dorky good girl who listens to old music and humiliates herself in front of boys."

"Old music is nice." Austin retorted.

I nodded at him. "Exactly."

Silence fell between us. I rocked on my feet a little, not really knowing what I was still doing at the Moon residence. Austin looked at me, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "Wanna touch my _tattoos_?"

"You mean your arm," I corrected. "I would be touching your arm…" I backed away when he got closer. "And I would just freak out. Having physical contact would just cause me to rant even more…and, uh, I think I'm doing that right now…please don't get any closer!"

I quickly raised my hands to my eyes in defense. I heard Austin chuckle. "Relax." I lowered my hands from my eyes and stared at him. He slowly extended his hand forward and enclosed it around my small one. "Oh my, God, I'm going to die today."

I saw him roll his eyes. He dragged my hand towards his arm, and placed it on one of the tattoos. I examined it for a while. "It's soft." He chuckled again.

"Alison, where are you?" I heard my Mom yell. Realizing that my hand was still in its spot, I quickly removed it and crossed my arms. "I better get going. Tell your Mom I said hi." He nodded. "Thanks for the casserole."

I turned around and walked down the steps, but quickly stopped. Turning back around, I bit the bottom of my lip. "Did you take the picture of me yesterday?"

"Maybe yes, maybe no," Austin said. I opened my mouth to protest, but he closed the door. Groaning, I walked back home. It was pretty obvious he stole my picture, and I really needed it back. I knew the pictures were embarrassing, but they had sentimental value – both to my parents and me.

"So, what took you so long?" Mom asked. "Had an intense moment with Austin?" She winked at me.

"Mom, don't get all gross on me," I said, sitting down. "Dad, tell Mom before she continues." He laughed.

"What?" Mom asked, innocently. "Austin's a really handsome kid. You guys would be so adorable together. Your names even start with the same letter!"

"Mom, I don't think you guys would let your sixteen year-old daughter, who spends her Friday nights watching Star Wars, go out with the new badass neighbor," I stopped to catch my breath. "You said it yourself. He practically destroyed his old school while still in New York."

Mom and Dad stared at me, blinking rapidly. "Sweetie, you need to get out more these days…we're starting to worry about you."

"Thanks, guys," I flat out said. "You're really supportive."

* * *

"What am I going to do? I need that picture back, Trish!" I told her about everything – starting from the dinner until the very end where I realized the bad boy next door decided to steal a picture of me. "It's…my most prized possession."

"I doubt that," Trish laughed. "Hold on, I'm thinking. You've come to the right person. I'm the best at revenge, and what you need is revenge. Dez, think with me. Wait, never mind."

Dez pouted at Trish, but resumed building a french fry tower. I always had this urge to poke these projects. I loved seeing things fall – other than me, of course. I placed my hands on my lap and looked at Trish.

Trish snapped her fingers and smirked at me. "He stole something that means a lot to you – which I find very weird, considering you were naked…Wow, Austin must have the hots for three year-old Ally." I ignored this statement and gave her the _go on_ look. "Anyways, I think _you_ should steal something that means a lot to _him_!"

"What? Trish, I could not! I've never stolen anything in my whole entire life, and I am not going to start now just to piss my neighbor off!" I leaned back against the chair. "Do you have any other ideas?"

Trish rolled her eyes at me. "Come on, Ally, it's not stealing…it's borrowing something you may never return unless he provides you with your picture first."

"That's an awfully long name…"

"Focus, Ally."

Sighing, I stared at Austin. We were at Minis. It was this small hangout in the mall with a shack at the side that sold all things mini. Minis. Get it? Get it? It was priceless! But back to reality now. Austin caught my gaze and gave me a brief smirk, saluting at me with two fingers. It made me angry. He was holding _my_ picture captive, and I was not going to stand for this!

I slapped my hands on the table excitedly. "I'll do it!"

Instantly, Dez's french fry tower toppled down. His mouth formed a small O as he stared at me with a hurt face. "Oh God, I'm so sorry, Dez. I'll make it up to you, just don't give me that face…please."

"You _monster._" He cried out.

Trish ignored Dez and interlaced her fingers together. Honestly, she looked exactly like a villain in an action movie. "Let Mission: Get Back at Austin for Stealing Ally's Picture commence, then."

"That's also an awfully long name for a mission."

"Ally!" Dez and Trish yelled in exasperation.

Sinking down in my seat, I bit back laughter. "Sorry."

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Trish?" I whispered. "Because I don't. He'll grill me to death if he caught me loitering around his bedroom! This isn't ethical!"

"Okay, first, don't use those words on me. _Ethical_, as if," Trish hissed. "You agreed to this! So shut up, and get climbing. I'll be right down here. If you hear any voices, give me some signal so I can ring the doorbell and distract whoever's in there. God, now I'm rambling!"

I mock-laughed and pointed a finger at her. "You're rambling just like me!"

She glared at me. I instantly removed my finger and the laugher died down. "Sorry."

Taking another deep breath, I started climbing the vines. There was no car in the driveway, so we presumed there was nobody in the house. But Austin's bedroom light was on. The vines grew from bottom till the rooftop's edge, and that assured me I wasn't going to die.

"You're almost there!" Trish called out from below. Once the balcony was in clear view, I moved to the side and climbed onto his balcony. Throw in some villains, and this could turn into a Jackie Chan movie. I gave Trish thumbs up then proceeded to enter the bedroom. I left the balcony doors open, just in case they returned.

Austin's room was not at all messy. It resembled mine a little, except his wall color was baby blue and mine were plain white. But that wasn't what I was going to do – observe and describe his room. I needed to steal something…but something small, and maybe find my picture. Revenge sure was sweet. I looked around. There were pictures of his Mom and, who I assumed to be his brother, Alex. There was only one picture of his Father. It was of him and Austin. They were on a boat, fishing gear held in their hands. They looked so happy. I wondered why their parents divorced. Irreconcilable differences? Who knew?

_Focus, Ally! You're here to commit a felony, not to pity the family. _

I spotted a silver necklace placed on his desk. He wore it with every outfit, actually. Obviously it meant a lot to him…just like my darn picture. Smiling victoriously, I snatched the necklace and was ready to put it in my pocket when I suddenly heard movement outside the door.

_Oh dear lord, I'm in trouble. _

I couldn't climb down that fast! My hands began trembling. I bit my lip just to be safe – shrieking was not the solution right now. Quickly running into Austin's bathroom, I closed the door, but didn't lock it. He would notice, and it would make noise if I opened it. I was not sleeping in a stranger's bathroom tonight! I climbed into the tub and drew the curtain.

I heard shuffling outside the bathroom.

_Please let whoever's out there leave. Please. I know I committed a felony, God, but that was just about it!_

Suddenly, the bathroom door opened. I held my breath when I heard the person whistle. My heart began beating. I saw a figure move towards the tub. I was going to die. As soon as the hand popped through the curtain, I knew it was Austin. The tattoos. He pressed the cold button, and I was instantly left soaking in _freezing_ water. I had to suppress a shriek. My teeth chattered as I waited for the worst to come. Austin pulled the curtains away, and once he saw his dorky neighbor he had only met two days ago, he screamed.

A girly scream, too, I might add.

Being stuck in an all new awkward situation, I joined in, and we were both left standing there, staring at each other, _screaming_.

The water was still running down my body. I was sure to catch a cold. I gripped his necklace in my hands and tried my best not to show him, although I knew I had to explain why I was standing in his own tub. "Why are you always half-naked around me?" Thank God he only took off his shirt. The tattoos suited him perfectly, and I had to admit, Austin looked _really_ attractive.

He immediately stopped yelling, anger flashing in his eyes. "What the _fuck_ are you doing in my bathroom, Beatles girl?"

I forced a smile and nervously laughed. "Hanging out?"

"This isn't even funny," He said through gritted teeth. He quickly closed his mouth and stared at my chest. And suddenly, I felt _really_ uncomfortable. I crossed my arms. "Staring at somebody's chest is impolite, you know!"

"I was staring at that object in your hand." He hissed. "You deliberately broke into my house, and you're calling _me_ impolite? What the fuck is in your hand, and what the fuck are you doing in my bathroom?"

_Oh._

I gawked at him. "You stole my picture in the first place! So you're the impolite and rude one here! I was just doing the same thing you did to me. I was going to steal this necklace—" I held it up for him to see. "—in revenge. But it went downhill when you decided to take a shower…"

He looked really angry now. "Give it to me."

He sounded sincere and he spoke his words calmly. I could sense he wanted to strangle the life out of me, but he was fighting off the urge. I guess we both tried to do that nowadays. I gripped the necklace even tighter than before. "No."

"No?"

"You heard me right," I said. "Give me my picture first, and I'll give you your necklace in return, and I'll leave as if nothing happened."

"Beatles girl, I'm not joking," He said. "Give it to me now!"

"Picture first," I made sure to speak slowly. "I didn't climb that vine up for nothing!"

"Austin? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Why did you scream? Hold on, I'm coming!" His Mom yelled frantically. I heard footsteps in the hallway.

Flashing me a panicked look, Austin quickly climbed into the tub and closed the curtains. "What are you doing?" He clamped a hand over my mouth and signaled for me to be quiet. I was left staring into his intense, brown eyes.

"Austin, honey? Have you hurt yourself?"

"No, Mom, I'm fine," Austin replied, his hand still over my mouth, his eyes never leaving mine. "I just thought I saw a…spider, and you know how much I hate those. My bad. I'm sorry for scaring you."

"Oh," She laughed. "Okay, well, I'll leave you to shower."

She exited the bathroom, closing the door behind her. We were still staring at each other, the water still running. Now both Austin and I were soaking in freezing water. He had goose bumps all over his body. _Suits you right. _

"Cof yu plf remof yor hanf?" I spoke. I intentionally meant _could you please remove your hand_ but his hand was still in its position, making my words muffled.

He slowly removed it and turned off the water. Glaring at me, he said, "Your picture is in the first drawer of my desk. Give me my necklace, take your picture, and get out of my house. If my Mom had caught me in the shower with a girl – a girl she met a day ago – she would have freaked and all hell would have broken loose."

Shoving his necklace in his chest, I walked out of the bathroom. Quickly grabbing my picture, I headed onto the balcony, not forgetting to leave a trail of water. The cold hair nipped viciously at my skin. Trish was nowhere in sight.

_You're dead tomorrow, Trish De La Rosa._

As I climbed back down the vine, I heard Austin's mother yell out, "Austin! Why is there water all over the carpet?"

And then I heard Austin groan.

Smiling in content, I made my way home, and I just couldn't help but imagine Austin's face as he slowly planned his revenge against me. It made me laugh.

* * *

**Woo! Another chapter updated! Honestly, I don't want to update so fast, because I want this story to go slow. I seriously loved writing this chapter. It was by far the best. I mean, who didn't love the intense moment Austin and Ally shared in the tub? **

**Hah, anyways, thank you all so much! I am so glad you all liked this story! Your reviews make my day. I just started school again, so that's a bummer, but yeah. **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Leave your honest opinions down below. (: **


	4. IV

"I'm going to murder her the next time I see her," I moaned, blowing my nose into a tissue. It was a Saturday, and I was usually perky and excited, but no – not today. I was wrapped up in my bed sheets, dirty tissues spread out across. It was, what, my third tissue box? I had thought correctly. I did get sick after the little _accident_ yesterday.

"How did you even manage to get a cold so quickly?" Mom asked, placing another tissue box next to me. "You looked fine yesterday. What happened?"

I was obviously not going to tell my mother I committed a felony yesterday. _I broke into Austin's house and tried to steal something, but ended up standing in his tub with his hand over my mouth whilst cold water ran down our bodies. _Yeah, no thank you.

"I must have caught the cold while walking to Austin's house," I lied. "It was quite windy yesterday, don't you think?" Grabbing another tissue, I tried to avoid my Mother's gaze, and settled on my book. I couldn't lie – not that easily, that is.

Mom shrugged. "I guess that's a possibility. But I don't want you to spend the whole day in bed. Try to get some fresh air. It'll help you heal faster." She smiled. "Your Dad and I are going out for lunch with a couple of our friends. Should I hire a babysitter?"

I dropped my book. "I'm seventeen, not seven, mom!"

"You're a seventeen year-old that still watches those kid shows," She cupped my chin. "I won't take any chances!" I glared at her, and she laughed. "I'm kidding. I'm just worried about that cold of yours. You've been sitting in that bed for five hours."

"I'll be fine," I waved a hand dismissively. "I have Charlie with me. I'm safe! I definitely don't need a babysitter or anything. I can handle myself." I stayed quiet then pursed my lips. "Could you…could you hand me that tissue box?"

"Oh, you sure can handle yourself," Mom exclaimed. "Just try to get some sleep. I'll talk to your Father."

She left the room, closing the door behind her. I dialed Trish's number, aimlessly tapping my fingers against the books' hardcover. I was pretty pissed at Trish. We had hatched a plan, and then she totally ran away, and I was left to deal with Austin, resulting in me getting sick. I could only breathe through one nostril and it was starting to get on my nerves.

"Hello?"

"Why, hello there, Trish! I haven't heard from you since you ran away yesterday night. Care to explain? Thanks to you, I'm stuck in bed, blowing my nose every ten seconds. I look like I just finished paying my rent at a dumpster!" She nervously laughed. "I'm sorry. I guess I panicked. What even happened?"

I groaned. "He caught me, but I got my picture back! You're going to be paying for my lunch for at least two months!"

"Stop whining, Ally," Trish laughed. "I'll be over in a few. I know exactly how to cheer you up!"

* * *

"Okay, you don't have to pay for my lunch," I gushed. "This is awesome. I guess you weren't lying when you said you know how to cheer a sick girl up." Trish flipped her hair. "I guess I owe you for running off. I still can't believe that Austin caught you. What was his reaction?"

"He didn't take it so easy," I answered. "He kept cursing, and was infuriated when he realized I was going to steal his signature necklace…it means a lot to him as so it seems. But at least I got my picture back. I don't have to worry about anything."

I stroked Charlie's hair. Trish bought me a box of cupcakes _and_ old Disney movies. I think it was what every sick person did. I mean, what was better than stuffing your face with cakes, all while watching movies? Exactly. Nothing.

"I better get going," Trish said. "I just got a job at an old antique shop." She arched her eyebrows. "I forgot its name….and where it's located." She shrugged. "Oh well."

She waved goodbye and exited my bedroom, closing the door. I playfully rolled my eyes at her, even if she couldn't see. Trish had already put in one of the movies she bought for me. I pressed the _play_ button, and then chewed thoughtfully and slowly on a red velvet cupcake.

Four cupcakes and two movies later, I slowly drifted off to sleep. Eating too much can sometimes have effect on you. My stomach bloated and I felt really sleepy.

I had slept for about an hour, and when I woke up, the first thing I saw was Charlie staring at something. His eyes were strangely narrowed, and he let out low growls. "Charlie? What's up, boy?"

He growled again.

I slowly tilted my head to the side to check what Charlie was glaring at. I didn't expect to find somebody sitting on my desk's swivel chair.

But I did.

And it wasn't just somebody.

"What the heck are you doing in my room?" I shrieked.

Austin didn't even flinch. He lowered my book and shrugged nonchalantly. "Funny," He said. "I had the same reaction when I found you standing in my tub yesterday."

I gawked at him, completely ignoring my red cheeks. He was right, but it still didn't explain why he was sitting in my room on a Saturday afternoon. "What are you doing in my room? Are you robbing my house? We have nothing expensive. My family doesn't like to spend so much money."

He rolled his eyes at me. "Stop rambling. Why are you always so nervous?" He raised his eyebrows and smirked, and then stood up and stalked over to me. "Do I make you nervous, Beatles girl, or is just your nature?"

I felt pretty uncomfortable considering I was in my winter monkey pajamas. And I was still lying on my bed. Oh wow.

"It's my nature," I firmly said, crossing my arms. "Although, I tend not to socialize with boys because they scare me. And make me extremely nervous. I also avoid the popular girls because they bring my self-esteem down."

He nodded slowly. "But anyways, your Mother asked me to babysit you while she and your Father went out." Austin sat back down on the swivel chair and continued reading my book. I frowned. "It's not called babysitting when I'm seventeen years-old. You can leave. I can handle myself just fine."

"You fell in a trashcan two days ago," Austin said, giving me a flat look. "Yeah, I highly doubt that you can take care of yourself."

"Stop treating me like I'm five!" I raised my hands up in exasperation. He pointed his index finger at me. "You're wearing monkey pajamas, how can I not?" I grabbed one of my pillows and threw it at him, but he caught it easily and laughed. "Give me my book."

"I'm not going to eat it," He simply stated. "I'm just reading."

"You read? Might as well call the government and notify them. I never thought I'd see the day where a bad boy – such as yourself – actually reads." I was fumbling around my room as I ranted on and on.

"Somebody's a little judgmental."

"I'm not being judgmental when I'm telling the truth," I said, pointing a finger at him. He rolled his eyes at me again. "Why am I still talking to you?"

"No clue," He answered. "But this book is actually nice, even if it is a stereotypical, sappy romance book. Believe it or not."

I pursed my lips. "You can borrow it if you want. I've read it five times already. It's my favorite book."

Austin examined the book. "I think we've both established that I would have taken it with or without your permission." He gave me a sly smirk. "Right?" He checked the time. "All right, let's go to Walmart. I need to buy groceries and you just need to get out of the house."

"Fine," I said. "But get out of first. I need to change."

I shoved him out of the bedroom and locked the door just to be safe.

* * *

I eyed Austin carefully. "Take everything out of your pockets."

He choked on his water. "Excuse me?"

"You were in my room while I was sleeping," I said. "You might have taken something in revenge for yesterday. Empty your pockets."

"Oh, please," He said. "If I get any closer to you, you'll immediately shut up and start hyperventilating. Do you want me to do that to you?"

"Just empty your pockets," I whined. He narrowed his eyes and took out everything. I didn't see anything that belonged to me so he was clean. I smiled triumphantly as we climbed into his car.

"You're unbelievable," Austin muttered.

He started the engine and drove to Walmart, which wasn't that far from our neighborhood. Just around the block, I guess you could say. Austin parked the car and we entered through the entrance. I pushed down the aisles, my hands curled around the orange handle of the cart. I decided to do a little shopping, too. Mom was right. I felt better now that I had seen the sun. Pushing my cart further, I tilted my head left and right to check the products. I wanted sweets.

Mom hated sweets – despised them with a burning passion. When I was younger, my Dad and I used to buy a pile of candy and hide them wherever we could in the house. When Mom was asleep, Dad and I would sneak downstairs and eat until we were full. That was when I was around eleven. I was seventeen. Mom never found out.

I was pretty much a badass when I was eleven years-old.

"Are you preparing for war or an apocalypse or something?" Austin asked, placing a box of frozen nuggets in the cart.

I looked at my cart and realized it was filled with candies and such. I got really hungry at night, and I was going to hide them so Dad and I could eat them while Mom slept. We still did that.

I shrugged. "No. Dad and I like to eat sweets. Mom doesn't."

"I think you're going to have diabetes if you keep eating all those sweets," He said. I followed him to the cashier, my eyebrows arched. "I don't think so. Mom always makes me eat vegetables…and it's not like I eat candy everyday."

"Right."

"It's the truth!"

* * *

"So, who's that tall, lanky ginger boy that always sits with you?" Austin asked. I was helping him put away the groceries. "He's always asking around if anyone's seen his pet chicken."

"His name is Dez," I smiled. "He's very unusual and colorful, but he's a really good friend. And before you ask, the other girl is Trish."

Austin nodded. "Those are you friends? You only have two friends? Are you kidding me?"

"Says the guy that sits alone at lunch," I retorted, turning around to look at him. "You're loved and admired by everybody already, and yet you eat alone."

"Don't be defensive, geez," He said. "I like sitting alone, and that's different. We're different. You look like the type of girl that likes to hang around her friends, and you talk a lot, so…"

"I don't talk a lot!" I exclaimed. "What is it with you people? It seems that every person I meet has to tell me that I talk a lot. Uh, hello, that's called communicating. I'm not going to write down what I want to say each time I want to talk, now am I?"

"You're shit at proving your points." Austin said.

"Thank you," I wrinkled my nose. "Everybody has flaws and fears. So stop cornering me. I like talking. And reading. A lot."

"You're normal when you're not nervous."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I smiled to myself. "Because I know I'm not normal. There are just things that make me nervous."

"Like what?"

"I hate speaking in front of the class," I replied. "I hate being the center of attention. I usually chew my hair when that happens. I hate when people put pressure on me, because that'll just make me even more nervous. Oh, and I hate when boys touch me and stuff like that." I nodded. "Yeah, I guess that's it."

Austin suddenly grabbed my hand. The bag of frozen peas flew from my hand. I let out a squeal and grew red. It suddenly became hard to breathe, and I needed the air. "Can you l-let me go? I need air! Oh my gods."

Austin let go of my hand. "You were definitely right about boys making you nervous."

"I told you," I said. "Never do that to me. Ever. Unless you want to get accidentally punched. Once in sixth grade, a boy grabbed my hand and because he startled me, my fist flew to his face. I broke his nose." I squinted my eyes at him. "What makes you nervous?"

He looked at me. "I'm never nervous, if you've noticed."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, you're intimidating and careless, but that doesn't mean there aren't things in life you dislike or you're scared of. People may believe there aren't because you come out as a badass, but not to me. So, tell me."

He looked at me again and held the lock for a couple of seconds. He heavily sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "As gayish as it'll sound...I'm afraid of losing someone I love and care about. Life is unpredictable and you never know what's going to happen. It's just fucked up."

* * *

I popped my head through the bedroom door. "Is it safe?"

My Dad nodded and gave me thumbs up. "Let's go!"

We cautiously walked downstairs, careful not to make any noise to wake my Mother up. Dad and I sauntered to the kitchen. He sat down on the stool and gave me a wide smile. "You may serve dinner."

I pulled out a hidden stash of chocolate bars from under the counter. My mouth watered. Dad clapped his together in delight, but not so loud to make any noise. "All right, Dad, we have an important mission. All these chocolate bars should be scarfed down before it's one. Can you handle it?"

He nodded and smirked. "I can."

"Good. On three. One…two…three!"

And then it began. We grabbed the chocolate bars and ripped open their wrappers. The counter was a huge mess by the time we finished a couple of them. Dad and I eating behind my Mom's back brought back good memories. It had been six years of going behind my Mother's back, but it was all worth it. We just couldn't live without candy.

"And just what on Earth do you think you're doing?"

Oops.

* * *

**And that's over. Sorry for the long update. I had writer's block, and sometimes I just didn't feel like writing. Aside from that, I had a lot of tests, and I have a lot for next week. Not to mention the entrance exam I have on Friday…**

**The good news is that I don't go to school on Friday. My brother does, lel. But anyways, I hope you liked this chapter! Leave your opinion down below!**

**Oh, and, I wanted to start this QaA. You guys can leave questions down below. It can be about me or about the story, and I'll be happy to answer. I don't think anyone will do that – send me questions – but you know it's just a heads up. **

**Ciao.**


	5. V

Dad and I exchanged glances, our eyebrows furrowed in disgust. We were trying to smile, but it just wouldn't work. You see, Mom caught us yesterday night and we had to tell her everything that was happening for the past six years. Needless to say, she was furious and ended up grounding both my Dad and I.

Mom set the plates on the table and crossed her arms over her chest. "Eat up."

"Is this really necessary, honey?" Dad nervously laughed. "Can't we just laugh it off and forget that it ever happened?"

"No, Lester, we cannot," She replied, plopping down on the chair across us. "This is for your own good. I can't believe you would go behind my back, and it was just yesterday that I found out about your little secret. Ally, I never knew you would such a thing like that." She sighed. "Now start eating. I've nothing to do today so we can be here all night."

She was pure evil.

I guess the whole thing affected her. We had always been this family that never kept secrets from each other. I actually told them everything, and they did the same, so I could see why my Mom went nuts. We were both not allowed to eat anything – _anything_ – unhealthy. Dad was not allowed to watch any TV for one whole week, which was pretty hard considering he spent his free time watching. And I, well, I was deprived of reading.

_And the whole world gasps in utter shock!_

Imagine me not reading. What had this world come to? I had to avoid all books in my room, and they were a lot, trust me. I had books placed on shelves, in drawers, in bags, on desks…and I couldn't even touch them. It was crazy. This was like a person locked up in an asylum against his will. But what was the point? I was probably going to end up in a sanitarium anyway.

Back to reality.

Dad and I picked up our forks and silently –_ hesitantly_ – began eating. I never had a problem with eating my vegetables when I had to. It wasn't a routine. But we had to eat healthy crap for a week or so. It just depended on my mother. Dad and I talked, and we were going to try to please my mother so we can have our freedom again.

This was my family. The Dawsons.

"Ah, that was such a lovely lunch, Penny," He wiped his mouth with a napkin then kissed my Mom on the cheek and left the house, his briefcase with him.

Mom raised an eyebrow at me. "Erm, I loved it, Mother. Absolutely appetizing." She smirked, slowly nodding her head. Then, she headed upstairs. My fake smile faltered and I scrunched my face in disgust.

The lunch was terrible.

Dad didn't even have work today. It was a casual Sunday. He was probably driving to a nearby diner to have lunch…or brunch in his case. I clenched my fist. He better get me something. It was bad enough I couldn't read.

I was still sick, too.

* * *

Walking into my bedroom, I shut the door and flopped down on my bed, exhausted and really bored. For an avid-reader, nothing else entertained me. I still had music, and TV, and the Internet…but, but those books were just lying there, calling my name, drawing me to them…it was hard.

"Beatles girl."

Oh, that all too familiar nickname.

Groaning, I sat up and walked out of my bedroom through my balcony door. Austin smirked (no surprise) and casually crossed his arms over his chest. "Why the long face?" I placed my hands on the white railing and sighed.

"I'm grounded." I pouted at him.

He dropped his hands and put one over his ear. "Excuse me? Did you just say you're grounded? Oh fucking hell, what did you do? Drink milk out of the carton? Folded one of the pages in one of your crappy books instead of using a fucking bookmark? This is priceless, but help me out here, I'm drowning."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Excuse you, my books are not crappy. If I remember correctly _and_ clearly, you borrowed one of my so-called crappy books and you said that it was nice!"

He rolled his eyes. "I only liked that one."

"What, did you go through all of my three-thousand and forty-five books and check while I was peacefully sleeping?"

"Did you actually count how many books you have?"

"No," I said. "I have more than that."

He shook his head. "So, why're you grounded, you level ten badass?" I pursed my lips and sighed again. "Remember the candy yesterday? Dad and I were eating those at night and Mom caught us. We had been doing that – eating candy behind her back. I can't read books or eat anything unhealthy."

He arched his eyebrows. "I'd really like to see your parents again. I want to know what goes on with the Dawsons – Are you fucking with me here? You got grounded because you were eating chocolate?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I never said we were normal."

He nodded in agreement. "But anyways, are you going to that party tonight?" I shook my head no. "Parties aren't my thing. Besides, I have other plans. What about you? I'm pretty sure people would want to see you there."

Austin rolled his eyes. "I don't know yet. It depends because I happen to have plans, too."

"Wow, you're going to disappoint some people, then," I teased. "Well, the girls in this case."

"I'm sorry if I'm going to disappoint you," He put a hand to his chest. I wrinkled my nose in disgust and flailed my arms around in disagreement. "Oh, definitely not. If anything, you'd be the disappointed one. Sorry to float your boat." Austin raised his eyebrows and smirked. "I think we both know who the disappointed one will be."

I groaned. "I'm not even going to be at the party, so I guess that crosses out my name. Good day, Austin." I turned on my heel and shut the balcony doors shut, drawing the blinds close at the end. "Arrogant jerk."

* * *

"Tell me again why we're doing this," Trish whined. "Come on, they had the Zalien movies up on TV and you just had to drag me to…where are we going again?"

"If you can drag me to parties, then I can drag you to visit the local orphanage," I firmly said. "It's only fair so quit your whining because _that_ has got to go. So you and Dez better lose those frowns and plaster on a wide smile. Got it?"

They looked scared for a second, nodding nervously. "Yes, ma'am." I smiled in content and gave them a brief nod. "Good. We're here! Oh God, I'm so excited!"

"Why did I ever become best friends with someone who has a kind heart?" Trish muttered. I laughed and nudged her. I took it as a compliment, anyways. We walked through the front doors and greeted Kristen. She was the one who decided to open up an orphanage. She had always wanted to, and when she finally got the chance, she didn't hesitate to take the opportunity.

"Oh my, Ally!" Kristen stood up from her desk and engulfed me in a warm hug. "I've missed you so much! Have you grown a little? Oh, the kids are going to be so happy when they hear you're back!" Giving me no time to say anything else, she rushed to the elevator.

"Well, that escalated quickly," Dez sang, fixing the straps of his bag. I smiled and shook my head. "That's usually how she greets me. I've gotten used to it."

Minutes later, Kristen emerged from the elevator and walked over to us, a huge smile spread across her face. "It's so good to see you again, Ally. Everyone here has missed you so much. Are you guys here to help out with dinner tonight? Marie took the kids to the beach so they're pretty starving tonight."

I nodded at her. "We're here to do anything!"

"That's great!" She smiled and looked at a paper on her desk. "Oh, and I also have another person coming over to volunteer tonight! I bet the kids will be really happy with the company. Thank you, guys, really."

"Well, the more, the merrier, right?" I smiled. Kristen beamed at me. She was always smiling; I liked that about her. "Oh, there he is now!"

"Oh crap," Trish groaned. "I don't think you're gonna like this, Ally."

I furrowed my eyebrows and turned around. My shoulders quickly slumped down at the sight in front of me. It seemed like fate wanted us to see each other wherever we went. I didn't like fate one bit, though. I scowled at him as he smirked. "Beatles girl. How nice to see you."

"Will you stop calling me that?" I pursed my lips in annoyance. "It's Ally. Okay? Ally. Not Beatles girl. Ally."

"Whatever you say will not change the fact that your name to me is Beatles girl," Austin said, shrugging of his leather jacket. I stared at his tattoos, unable to say anything else.

"Holy shit, those are amazing tattoos." Trish gawked at him.

"Where do you guys know each other from?" Kristen piped in.

"School." I replied, leaning against the desk. Kristen smiled at all of us then clapped her hands together in excitement. "Well," She said. "Now that we all know each other, how about we start cooking some dinner for those hungry fellas, eh?"

* * *

Kristen was actually going to cook with us but a couple of people wanted to speak to her about the orphanage, and since her assistant wasn't present, she had to do it all by herself. And so here we were, in the kitchen, trying to cooperate with each other so we can feed twenty-five mouths.

"Hand me that grater."

"The grater, you idiot," Trish smacked Dez's arm. "Not the whisk."

He rubbed his arm. "Well, sorry if I'm not kitchen smart."

"Everybody knows what a grater is!"

"Nu-uh, I don't!" Dez yelled back.

"Guys," I sighed. "Guys. Guys! Let's not fight right now and just focus on our work. Don't roll your eyes at me. The earlier you finish, the more of a chance you have to go to the party. Your choice."

Trish and Dez mumbled to themselves as they went on with their work. I playfully rolled my eyes at my two friends and continued to roll the dough around. Apparently, the kids wanted dessert, too. I had no complaints about it. I liked cooking, but the fact that I was making dessert made my mouth water. With me being grounded and all really deprived the little freedom I had.

I stared at Austin as he cut up some vegetables. Well, I was more interested in his tattoos. Sue me for finding them astonishing. But the thing was; Austin was at an orphanage making dinner instead of at the most popular party of the year. If that didn't weird you out, I don't know what will. Clearing my throat, I went back to my work.

"Ally, can we leave after this?" Trish asked. "Don't get me wrong, I really am having fun, but I'd still like to go party for a while. It's the hottest party after all."

"Yeah, sure." I nodded.

"You can come with us you know," Trish said. "Dez and I, and if that blondie over there wants to, too, then okay."

Austin didn't reply. He just continued chopping.

"Nah, you guys go," I waved a hand. "You know parties aren't my thing. I think I'll just stick around and entertain the little rascals here. Besides, it's been a while since I visited this place. Feels like home."

"All right, then."

* * *

"Ellie! Sit back down and eat your dinner!" Kristen yelled. The red-haired girl giggled and sat back down, popping a fry in her mouth. Kristen heavily sighed but smiled, running a hand through her strawberry blonde hair. "Jacob! Stop playing with the ketchup! Oh dear God. A little help?"

Austin and I were leaning against the white wall, watching the kids. I didn't think I had ever seen them smile so much. I missed them. I really did. Austin glanced at me. I chuckled and pushed myself forward. "All right, settle down, kids! Settle down!" The room fell silent. "If you guys manage to eat all of your food, we'll watch a movie and play games. So, what do you say?"

They didn't reply or anything. They properly sat in their places and silently ate their dinner. Kristen turned to me and gave me a weak smile. "Oh, thank you, Ally. I really needed that." I shrugged. "It was nothing. Kristen, you go rest for a little while. I can handle it." I looked at Austin for a second. "_We_ can handle it."

Kristen left the room. Trish and Dez had left long after they finished their duty so it was just Austin and I, and the kids of course.

"How did you do that?" Austin asked. "Silence the kids?"

"Practice, I guess," I answered. "I've been visiting this orphanage for two years now so I've had some practice. They're still kids, so anything they like will silence them to get what they want."

Austin nodded. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed."

I nudged him with my shoulder. "Ooh, I just impressed Austin Moon. Better go cross it off my bucket list!"

"I'm sure you'd love to do that."

"I'm just going to go ahead and ignore that because it'll only lead to another argument," I clapped my hands. "Okay, kids! Wash your hands and gather around the TV!"

The kids cheered and did as they were told. We popped in the first movie we found. It didn't matter. Those optimistic children loved everything.

"Thank you, guys," Kristen said. "I'll go ahead and take care of this now. You can go make dinner or help yourself to the leftovers from yesterday. I'm pretty sure you guys are hungry."

Austin and I walked back to the kitchen. "Leftovers or?"

"Leftovers." He said, pulling out the chicken sandwiches.

"Finally." We sat on the counter. I bit into my sandwich, and it immediately felt like I died and went to heaven. "These are so good. Better than my Mom's cooking. No offence, Mom."

"I can exploit you, you know."

"You can but you won't."

It was silent for a couple of moments, and I was well-known to hate silence. Considering I talked and ranted too much, you could easily guess why. I stopped eating to look at Austin. "So, you're a softie."

He arched his eyebrows. "What?"

"You ditched a party to visit the orphanage and to volunteer," I stated. "Why? I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but that doesn't sound like you."

"You've known me for five days, Beatles girl, you don't know anything," He said. "And, believe it or not, I _do_ have a heart. Well, most of the times, anyway. Haven't you ever heard of this saying, _'don't judge a book by its cover'_?" I nodded. "I think you should start applying that – and not to books."

"You're a guy with tattoos and stretched ears and you're always wearing a smirk," I paused to breathe. "You can't blame me. I mean, I think I got the right impression. Come on, you were ex-" I quickly stopped and looked at my sandwich. "-you know what, never mind. Thank you."

"For what?" He asked.

"Just for being here," I nodded at him. "For helping us out. You were good with the kids."

"You were better."

"Austin just complimented me. Let me go cross that off of my bucket list, too!"

I did this weird dance on the table, wiggling both my hands, humming to some song I listened to on the radio. So, I guess you could say I was making a complete fool out of myself.

"Hey," Austin began. "Didn't you say you were grounded from eating unhealthy food? You do realize you just ate a sandwich full of carbs, right?"

I immediately stopped dancing and my eyes widened. "Oh crap!"

* * *

**And another chapter updated, guys. I sincerely hope you liked it as much as I liked writing it. Thank you all for your ongoing support and reviews. They brighten my day, really. I finished my entrance exams (pray for me) so I think I can update faster and more frequently. But, let's not forget about the final exams...**

**Q. What's your favorite subject in school?**

**A. English and Chemistry. **

**Q. If you had a choice of doing the Hunger Games Trilogy and do a book in a bag thingy, how would you decorate your bag and what would the five items inside your bag be?**

**A. Erm, I think I'm going to get hate for this, but I have never read THG books or even watched the movies. Please lower your torches. I'm currently reading the Divergent Trilogy, and then I want to complete PJO...but yes, I am interested in reading THG, too.**

**Thank you all once again, and don't forget to review and leave your questions down below! :) **


	6. VI

It had been a long weekend in my opinion. I was glad it was Monday, and I was certainly glad I was not sick anymore. Being able to breathe through one nostril only and the constant need for tissues was somewhat getting on my nerves. I sighed in content, breathing in the air – with two nostrils this time. "Ah, I've missed this like hell. I'm glad we're back. It felt like ages since we've been to school."

Trish and Dez stared at me. "Ally, we've been gone for two days, and it was just a weekend."

I raised an eyebrow. "Who are you to judge? You got me into the mess, remember? You ran off because you panicked. Finding someone in your tub isn't that pleasant."

"You're never gonna let that go, are you?" Trish huffed. "I thought I made it up to you. I got you cupcakes and Disney movies! The clerk at Walmart stared at me like I was crazy. Disney movies? Really, Ally? Couldn't you be born normal?"

"Hey!" I slapped her arm. "I _am_ normal! I just tend to be…a little different."

"A little?" Dez and Trish said simultaneously. I glared at them, my bottom lip stuck out and my hands crossed. "Why are you all against me today? I'm just happy I can breathe again!"

They shook their heads at me then proceeded to walk into school. No, seriously, why was everybody against me? Everybody had mood swings. They would be talking to you and smiling and laughing, and the next thing you know, they're insulting you and shaking their heads. I wrinkled my nose – which was also a habit – and followed them in. The hallway was always crowded. I hated it. It wasn't exactly wide enough, so I always got stomped on and pushed around considering I was only 5'4''. I, for one, hated my height. I was _really_ short, and my family always made jokes. I mean, I was almost eighteen and some people thought it was funny to call me _shortcake_.

I saw no humor in this anywhere.

Pressing my books to my chest, I caught up with Trish and Dez as we walked to our first class. But this time, surprisingly, the hallway wasn't crowded. It was practically deserted. Frowning, I tugged at Trish's arm.

"What's going on? Where is everybody?" I asked.

"Didn't you hear? There's a fight going on in the cafeteria!" A girl replied. "It's pretty big. It's between Dallas and the new, hot badass!" She squealed and took off in the cafeteria's direction, with us trailing behind. The doors were wide open, and you could hear the commotion going on in there from about ten meters away. It actually sounded pretty big. The three of us walked into the cafeteria, and the first thing I heard and saw was the crowd of people cheering with their fists pulled up in the air. Swallowing hard, I pushed through some people and mumbled sincere apologies. Once I was in the front row, I realized the fight was between Dallas – just like that girl had said – and Austin himself. Of course it was.

He was new.

He was obviously a badass.

I really couldn't disagree with Austin being hot.

Dallas was on top of Austin, his hands placed around his neck so firmly and tightly. Dallas' nose was bleeding, and his face was entirely bruised and bloody. Bile rose in my throat, and I had to swallow to prevent it from coming out. I couldn't see Austin properly, but eventually, Austin kicked Dallas off of him and it was his turn to climb on top.

Austin swung at Dallas' face. _Repeatedly_. He was giving him no chance to breathe. He kept punching him and punching him, and with each punch he gave Dallas, I grew more and more frightened. I had never seen Austin this angry. It was the first time I saw Austin punch someone, and I knew he had done it multiple times back in New York, but I shook the feeling off. _And now._ It was horrible. Tears stung my eyes. Dallas sputtered curses but fought back with the same strength. Austin fell back, a trail of blood falling from his mouth.

_His face. _

I let out a gasp and clasped a hand over my mouth. Everybody was so intrigued by the fight that they were asking for more, and here I was, tears in my eyes, feeling so frightened and _sick_. Austin caught my gaze, and his eyes softened for just a brief second, until Dallas approached him and swung at his ribs. Austin let out a tormented and strangled howl.

Somebody needed to stop this.

But they wouldn't stop. Austin grabbed Dallas by the collar of his shirt, and connected his fist with Dallas' jaw. A bead of sweat had already formed on my forehead. My heart was hammering. My fingers were shaking. My lips were quivering. My body felt numb. A couple of my classmates ran over to them and I did, too, and we all tried to pull them apart. Whatever had started the fight must have been really serious. My vision was getting blurry. The whole room was spinning. Everybody's voices rang so clearly in my ears. I could hear my loud heartbeat. I held on to Austin's arm and pushed him away but he wouldn't budge.

"Please stop." It was merely a whisper but Austin heard it. He looked at me, and I caught the guilt in his eyes. We held the lock, but before I knew it, I was pushed back harshly and I lost my balance. I tripped over the bench and my head came in contact with the concrete floor. A sob immediately escaped my lips.

_Silence._

An assortment of white and black spots danced across my vision, and then everything turned pitch black.

* * *

"Alison, wake up, dear," I felt something poke my cheek. Was I dead? I didn't know. Have I died and gone to heaven? Who knew? I let out a groan. "God, is that you?" Somebody laughed. "No, dear, it's Nurse Christine."

My eyes grudgingly opened. Bad choice. My head was throbbing. It took a while for my eyes to adjust to the room. I felt tired and weary and I just wanted to go back to sleep, but I remembered that I was still in school, and I couldn't remember anything that happened earlier.

_Why was I in the Nurse's office anyway? _

"Wh-What happened?" I asked, sitting up. She gave me an assuring smile and pressed a hand to my forehead. "You were pushed. Hit your head on the floor. But you're okay. Everything's okay, Alison, you're not going to die." I sighed. Now I remembered what happened.

Punching. Kicking. Cheering. Blood. Dallas. _Austin_.

"What time is it?"

"You were unconscious during the day. Everybody's left home. Everybody except you and Austin," She said. "He's waiting for you outside."

I wrapped my arms around myself. "I-I don't want to see him – his face, I mean. I hate blood and fights. It's just…so scary to me." I frowned at what Christine suddenly pulled out from the drawer beside her. _Tampons_.

"I'm afraid we're out of tissues. Austin and Dallas were, uh, bleeding a lot. So, you're going to have to stick one of these-" She pointed at the pink box for emphasis. "-up your nose to prevent blood. I'm sorry." I could see she was trying to stifle a laugh. Inwardly groaning, I grabbed one of them from the box and pushed it up my nose gently.

"Here's to embarrassing myself!" I said.

"Off you go." Christine laughed. I stood up from the bed. My knees felt so weak. I longed to go home and sleep for hours. My head was still throbbing and I felt quite dizzy. I knew my parents would be worried by now. I just wanted the day to be over. It felt never-ending. I exited the office. Before I could walk away, I stopped, and stared at Austin. His face was battered and bruised and bloody. I winced and looked away quickly.

"Hey." I mumbled.

He cleared his throat. "Hey."

Silence lapsed between us.

I could feel his intense gaze. I was staring at my worn out black converse like it were the most precious thing in the world. But it wasn't. I was just trying to avoid Austin – well, his face. I was such a coward.

Austin heavily sighed. "Look at me. I'm not a fucking monster, if that's what you're thinking."

"You nearly killed each other!" I squealed, covering my eyes once I felt him shift closer to me. He let out another sigh. He didn't say another word. I always had the urge to cover my eyes around him as so it seemed. I had a reason today. He wasn't half-naked. He was _physically_ hurt. I felt his large, warm hands clasp around mine and I had to take deep, subtle breaths to prevent myself from squealing again. My heart rate was increasing by the second. It was for two reasons this time; his face was battered and I didn't want to see _and_ he was touching me.

"Austin, I really don't want to look at you right now," I said. "It's not because you got into a fight and you probably made me even more scared by you…It's just that I don't know how to deal with bruises and scars and blood."

"I'm not bleeding," He said. "I just have a couple of bruises. That's all."

He gently pulled my hands away from my eyes. Dallas' punches must have been pretty hard. Austin had a huge gash right next to his eye. Bruises were already forming all around his face, and he had a split lip. I winced again, but I didn't look away.

"You're _hurt_." I blurted out.

There was a long pause before he answered, "I know."

"Can I leave now?"

"Look," He said. "I just…I saw the way you looked during the, uh, fight…you looked really scared, and I'm sorry."

I slowly nodded. It was all I could do. I had nothing to say to him. I wasn't angry. It was his and Dallas' choice to fight. Not my problem.

I swallowed hard. "Yeah, uh, okay."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Why do you have a tampon shoved up your nose?"

* * *

That night, I couldn't sleep. Whenever I closed my eyes, images of Dallas and Austin's bloody faces crossed my mind. I shuddered. No matter how hard I tried to forget about the whole day, I failed. It was a permanent image etched into my memory. The school hadn't contacted my parents because I had only gotten a nosebleed. I was thankful. When I stepped into the house, I had expected my parents to charge at me with questions…and then my Mom would buy me a bunch of sweets and Dad would set up Netflix.

But they didn't.

Dad was reading the newspaper and Mom was cleaning the house. The only reaction I got out of them was their confused expressions towards the bloody tampon.

"_Honey, you've got it wrong," Mom said. "It doesn't go in that hole." _

Chuckling, I got out of bed and checked the time. It was around twelve o'clock at midnight. I walked onto the balcony and observed the quiet neighborhood. The streetlights were the only source of light around this time.

Well, then there was my neighbor, Hank, who was probably up smoking marijuana.

But something caught my attention. I spotted a mop of blonde hair not far from my house. The stranger was staggering up the sidewalk and then he crashed into the trashcan, causing it to fall. I averted my eyes to Austin's balcony window. All lights were off. Sighing, I quietly – and cautiously – tiptoed downstairs until I was outside my house. I found myself walking towards the stranger, which was odd of me. What if he were some person looking to rape somebody or something? It was almost one o'clock, too. But my legs kept carrying me closer to the blonde stranger.

Once I was at a good distance from him, I realized the mop of blonde hair belonged to Austin. He had put the trashcan back in its place and was leaning over it, as if feeling sick. He was heavily sweating, and was still in his clothes he was wearing during the fight. Blood stained his white V neck. Austin grunted, then took a large swig of his beer.

"Are you _drunk_?"

He looked up. "N-No."

He staggered towards me, swaying from left to right. As he inched closer and closer to me, he lost his balance and ended up grabbing my shoulders for support. "See? I'm _p-perfectly_ f-fine."

"No, you're not," I sighed, grabbing his hands. "Let's sit down."

I helped him walk towards the brick wall, and then we both slid down. I let Austin breathe as I pulled my knees to my chest. I realized he had touched me, and I had, too, but I didn't freak. I guessed it was because he was drunk off his ass.

"I promised her I wouldn't do it again," He spoke up after a long moment of silence. He took another swig. "I promised her I wouldn't get into another fucking fight." Another swig. "I broke it. Surprised? Not really. That fucking asshole was asking for it." He shook his head, taking another sip. "Moving here meant change. I didn't even try fucking hard. Guess I'm just one big failure."

I grabbed the bottle before he could take another swig. He didn't say anything else. "Austin, you're not a failure."

He laughed bitterly. "Oh, what do you know? You're just a fucking girl. You don't understand a thing. So don't even try to lecture me. It won't fucking work. You're like the rest of them – every damn person I have met."

I bit my lip, trying to shake off his words. I had to admit, it hurt me a bit. _You're like the rest of them – every damn person I have met._ Did he really think of me as the bad person here? I mean I had done nothing to him. I was just a little intimidated. Austin pulled out a pack of cigarettes, accompanied by a black lighter. He pulled one of the thick, white sticks, and put his hands around it, lighting its tip. He put the lighter back into his pocket, breathed in the nicotine, tipping his head backwards, and then blowing out a cloud of white smoke.

"Smoking's bad for you."

"I know."

"Alcohol's bad for you."

"I know."

"You're not a failure."

He didn't say anything else. I liked drunken Austin better. I didn't mind the little space between us. I didn't feel scared. I didn't have that urge to squeal and cover my eyes. I sighed and pulled myself upwards. "Come on, let's get you inside." Grabbing him by the hands, we walked to his front porch. I tried opening the door, but, unfortunately, it was locked.

"Do you have the keys? Door's locked."

"Front pocket." He replied, but made no move to get it. He placed his hands on the wall and grunted.

"How many drinks have you had?"

"I've always been bad at Math."

I slid under his hands and opened the zipper to his front pocket. I felt a teensy bit awkward but it didn't affect me much. It was one o'clock at night and Austin was drunk. Getting the keys was no problem. Austin removed his hands and put one over his forehead, his eyes closing. I took the advantage and quickly grabbed the keys, pulling them out. But Austin lost his balance again. He leaned forward, placing his hands firmly next to the sides of my head.

He tilted his head upward and took in a deep, strangled breath, looking me in the eyes. "You're so…you're so fucking—God, I feel sick."

I lightly pushed him backwards, then unlocked the door. As I helped Austin up the stairs, I hoped his mother was peacefully sleeping, unaware of my heavy panting, and Austin's cursing.

"We sound like we're having—"

"TMI, Austin, TMI!"

I lead Austin into his room. He quickly fell on his bed, clutching his pillows and moaning into them. I smiled and got ready to leave when his voice stopped me.

"Your book," He said. "I finished it. You can take it."

I walked over to his desk and grabbed the book. It was still in good shape. There were no signs of book abuse, which sort of made me feel better.

"Goodnight, Austin." I said before turning off the lights.

* * *

_**Please read the Author's note.**_

**I liked this chapter. It was fun to write. I think this was a good update. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and thank you so much for the reviews! Can we reach 90+ before the upcoming chapter?**

**I'm under so much pressure right now. I have finals coming up in June, and I have two entrance exams to study for. Everybody pretty much crammed me with studying. Updates in June may be slow…it really depends on whether I want to write or have the energy to. I procrastinate a lot, you see. **

**Any who, what are your top favorite bands? Most of you are obviously going to answer with **_**R5**_**. Mine would probably have to be Nirvana, Sleeping with Sirens, Pierce the Veil, The Beatles, A Day to Remember, Guns N' Roses…and so forth. I listen to a variety of bands, so I don't really have a favorite. Those were just bands I'm in fucking love with. **


	7. VII

"How are you feeling today, hun?" Mom asked. We were seated at the small, wooden kitchen table. It was placed right beside the huge windowsill of ours. I personally admired sitting at that table – especially during winter. Nothing, in my opinion, could beat a hot cup of tea whilst watching the rain drop from the skies above. It was just so…soothing. I absolutely loved it.

"Oh, um, I feel all right." I said, slathering butter on my toast. I tried my best to avoid my Mother's intense gaze. She was always a curious person, and I think I got that from her. I always had my nose in people's business, even if it were an annoying habit. But the thing was, my Mother could get any person to tell her the truth by just _looking_ at them. I certainly didn't want to tell her that I got pushed while two idiots – Dallas and Austin – fought over some silly topic. At least I hoped it was some silly topic. Mom would get worried and she would start asking questions. And I didn't need that either. I just wanted to forget about the whole fight and move on with my senior year.

That was it. Was it so much to ask?

"Are you sure?" Mom pressed on. "That was one heck of a fall. Don't lie to me, Alison. You know I can't tolerate that. Did someone hit you?"

I sighed and gave her a small smile. "Mother, I really am all right. I just hit my nose. You know how clumsy I could get. I promise you no one hit me or any of that sort." I glanced at my watch. "Speaking of which, I got to get to school."

Quickly pulling my chair back, I pecked Mom's cheek and left as quickly as possible. She looked like she had more questions that needed to be answered. And so I was glad I had school. If I didn't, I wouldn't have had any escape. Fixing the straps of bag, I walked over to Trish and Dez, and plopped down on the bench. Trish immediately gave me a sympathetic smile. "How're you feeling, girl?"

I nodded at them. "I'm okay. It was just a nosebleed. Nothing serious. We all have them. I don't get why everyone's making a big deal out of it."

"Uh, because you got in the middle of Austin and Dallas' fight and you looked like you were on the verge of crying, which you did after you were hit." Dez simply said. Trish pursed her lips in anger and smacked his arm.

"Do us a favor and shut up, Dez," Trish said, rolling her eyes.

I laughed, and it felt good. _I_ felt good.

Just then, when the three of us were in the middle of laughing, Austin emerged through the school gates. Everything about him was the same. He looked mysterious. He had on his leather jacket over some band tee, dark jeans, and his usual worn out combat boots. It screamed _bad boy_. His hands were shoved in his jean pockets, and this time, he had on a pair of black Ray Ban sunglasses. I spotted a couple of girls squealing, and then there was Dallas, who was scowling at him.

It triggered a memory of yesterday, though; when I encountered drunken Austin at twelve o'clock midnight. It put a smile on my face. It was so much easier to talk to him that way. I didn't squeal or cover my eyes, and I didn't mind the little space between us. I felt normal.

_You're like the rest of them – every damn person I have met._

His words echoed in my head over and over, and my smile immediately faltered. I turned away from Austin and gazed at the new book in my hands, trying to tune out the whispers and the constant ringing in my ears. I didn't know why, but what he said brought me down a little.

* * *

I had been a student at Marino High School ever since I was little girl. I remember when I first attended the school; my Mother had braided my hair and made me wear a ridiculous pink dress. Unlike some people, I actually enjoyed my first day at school. Usually, people dread that day and cling to their parents weeping, but I remember being excited and nervous. It was also the very first time I became friends with Trish and Dez. The three of us had been attending Marino all of our lives, and then it occurred to me; we were almost eighteen, we were seniors, and it was our final year.

I considered Marino as a second home to me. Never once had my parents thought of moving me from the school. I hadn't either. The thought of us graduating made my heart ache, and I wanted nothing else than to repeat my life all from the start. It was going to be over soon. I shook the thoughts away. My favorite place at Marino was definitely – and obviously – the Library. Everything about it made me feel _content_. I loved the smell of the bitter coffee and the smell of the old, dusty books that hadn't been touched in forever.

Smiling, I ran my finger over the spines of the books, contemplating which to choose. It was always difficult for me – an avid reader – to simply choose a book. That just didn't work with me. I didn't have a favorite. I just read. Picking a book, I sat at my usual spot. It was a table at the back of the Library, with a window above it. No one really noticed me when I sat there. I liked that. No one to bother me while reading always sounded good to me.

Sighing in content, I fixed my position on the chair, my eyes never leaving the book. The one thing I hated was when you are too engrossed in a book, and then someone just decides to interrupt you. I frowned once I felt someone sit across me. Heaving another sigh, I closed the book and tilted my head upwards to look at Austin. Clasping my hands together, I stared at him, waiting for a response as to why he chose to sit with me. In a Library. I repeat, in a Library with _me_.

"Hey." He greeted.

"Hey." I greeted back. It was happening again. We had this moment in the hallway, except yesterday I couldn't even bring myself to look at him. He still had his sunglasses on.

"How are you?" He asked.

"You never ask me that," I furrowed my eyebrows and squinted my eyes at him. "What do you want?"

He rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his tousled hair. "Geez, I'm sorry for trying to be polite. Next time, I'll remember to greet you rudely."

I blinked. "Really? Is it really the time to argue, Austin?"

He sighed. "I just wanted to see if you're okay today, too." I nodded at him. "And I wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"So, I had this really huge hangover this morning," He said, fixing the collar of his tee. "I know I was drunk off my ass yesterday, and the only thing I remember is you helping me last night. Not all of it, though, just you being there at twelve o'clock at night."

I smiled.

"I still have this splitting headache and I think I had way too many drinks…" He continued, making gestures with his hands. Since Austin decided to sit from across me, it attracted the attention of some fellow students. But I was too busy listening to his story to care. "You should have seen me this morning-oh for fuck sake, did I say something wrong yesterday night?"

I laughed at his impatience. "No, no you didn't." He gave me a pointed look. "Okay, maybe you said something that put me deep in thought, but it didn't affect me…much. To be honest, I enjoyed talking to drunken Austin. It was easy and fun. Besides that, guess what?"

"What?"

"I didn't cover my eyes or squeal in embarrassment or anything!" I placed my hands on the table, slapping them against the wood with force, earning a glare from the old Librarian. "Isn't that amazing?"

Austin leaned back. "That's just weird, Beatles girl. Are you sure you weren't high or anything?"

I grew red. "Oh, please! You should have seen the way you walked last night!"

He smirked. "Well, I was _drunk_, what did you expect, Beatles girl?"

"The day you actually call me by my name will be the day pigs start flying. Seriously though, it's getting annoying. I love The Beatles, but I also love my name."

"I think the nickname I gave you suits you perfectly," He said. "Who's your favorite Beatle?"

I paled. "That's unfair! I can't answer that! That-" I pointed at him. "-has got to be the hardest question anyone has ever asked me."

"Stop being such a drama queen and answer the question." He groaned.

I stayed silent for a second. "Probably John. But then there's Paul…and Ringo…and George."

He glared at me and I laughed. "What about you?"

"Definitely Paul." He answered, flicking his wrist. "That's not the point, though. Did I say something embarrassing yesterday? Something personal? Something that probably made you even more intimidated?"

"No," I simply replied. "You didn't do anything of that sort. You were just…angry, but you were okay."

"So, I didn't do anything wrong." He stuck his bottom lip out and shrugged.

"Nope."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Are you still intimidated by me?" He asked, leaning forward until I could feel his breath fan my face.

"_Yes._"

He leaned back. "So, are we good?"

"Yes."

"Oh my, God, Beatles girl, stop flirting with me. It's getting out of hand!" He smirked and quickly left before I could say anything else. I sat there, blinking faster than usual. But I still couldn't stop that smile that made its way to my lips, and I rolled my eyes at him one more time before grabbing my book and opening it to where I last reached.

He sure was something.

* * *

"Ally, you've been in a _really_ good mood – more than usual – and it's starting to creep me out," Trish said, interlacing her fingers. "What's going on?"

"I'm creeped out, too!" Dez said, his mouth full of chicken pasta. We were at an Italian restaurant downtown. It was a routine for us three.

"Is it wrong to be happy?" I asked, stabbing the salad with my fork.

"No," Trish said. "It's just that…you're _happier_ than usual." She stopped to gasp and give me a cheeky smile. "Is it a boy? Ooh, Ally, tell us!"

"No, it is not!" I laughed. "I just feel healthy and happy. Today has been a good day apart from yesterday. It's just refreshing! Sue me for being in a happy mood you guys!"

"Oh." Trish said in a bored tone. I rolled my eyes and scarfed down my pasta. We ate in silence. Somehow, I looked up and stared at my best friends, and I couldn't help but smile. We had always been together, and we were going to graduate together. But the thought us getting separated after graduation was just…it was _sad_.

"Hey, guys?" I broke the silence. "Promise me, even after graduation, we'd still be best friends." Trish and Dez shared confused glances but then warmly smiled. "We promise. We've been attached to the hip since Kindergarten. You'd need the whole universe to tear us apart."

I laughed. "But seriously, without you guys, I'd just be another brick in the wall."

Trish groaned. "That didn't make any sense. Please don't quote Pink Floyd ever again." Dez nodded from beside her.

"Hey!"

And then we laughed.

* * *

_**Read me. **_

**All right, props to me because I was able to update before exams. I start on Monday and finish on the 20****th**** so huzzah to me! I think I'd be able to update normally because exams are definitely not freaking me out and I'm just so calm about the matter right now…Also, this chapter was just a filler and I'm not sure if I'm proud of it or not.**

**Another thing, one of you lovely reviewers said to tone down the cussing...and I'm sorry, but you're going to see a lot of cursing and swearing. Austin's a _bad boy_. He's obviously going to swear and curse and get drunk and shit. **

**Anyways, how have you guys been doing? I've got some babes out there with amazing music taste. Lol. ****I want to point out that I'm not going to exactly copy Austin and Ally's personalities and such. I don't want them to bond over Music, Austin isn't obsessed with pancakes and Ally isn't obsessed with pickles and she doesn't have that songbook of hers…and you get what I'm getting at.**

**What is your most played song at the moment? Mine is Come Together by The Beatles or Have Faith in Me by A Day to Remember. **

**Until next time, babes. **


	8. VIII

"Guess what day tomorrow is?" Mom asked, a wide smile plastered across her face. Her hands were clasped together at her chest, and she looked like she was about to explode from happiness. I put down the spoon in the cereal bowl and looked up, Dad copying my actions.

"Thursday?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes. "No, silly! Well, technically, yes, tomorrow _is_ Thursday…but it's your eighteenth birthday tomorrow! Aren't you excited? Aren't you glad you're finally becoming a young adult?"

I pursed my lips. "I actually forgot my birthday's tomorrow."

"I did, too." Dad said.

"Hey!" I retorted. He shrugged and smiled, picking up his newspaper again. I playfully rolled my eyes at him and grabbed the spoon, gulping down some Cheerios.

"Wait – that's it? You're not at all excited? How can you even be this calm about the matter? Eighteenth birthday, Alison, eighteenth!" Mom flailed her arms in the air, making gestures. "I am not going to have that! You're supposed to be excited! Then again, my almost-eighteen-year-old-daughter likes to read books on weekends, has never been kissed, and occasionally trips on air…"

Dad choked on his coffee.

"Mom! Why don't you put it all over the news? Better yet, go tell everyone in this neighborhood!"

She grabbed her purse. "Maybe I will." She smiled. "And you are officially ungrounded."

Dad's face lit up. "Seriously?"

She stared at him. "I said Alison is ungrounded. You still have weeks to go. I'm helping you out, Lester. You might lose that tummy of yours."

"Oh, please. I have about six packs."

"Yeah, six packs of soda cans," Mom retorted.

"Okay, I _had_ six packs, and that's exactly why you agreed to go out with me," Dad smiled. She smiled back and cupped his cheek, placing a kiss on his lips.

"Guys! Your daughter is still in the room! Too much PDA."

"Oh, shut up, Alison," They simultaneously said.

* * *

After saying goodbye to my parents and petting Charlie, I grabbed my rucksack and decided on walking to school. I really needed the fresh air to ease my mind. Normally, I would be excited for my birthday, but turning eighteen…that was a big change. It reminded me that I was no longer a little girl, no matter how much I acted like one. It reminded me that I was soon going to start taking decisions for myself. It reminded me that graduating high school was just one step closer.

Breathing in a sharp intake of breath, I walked around the school premises, searching for Trish and Dez. I didn't need to think about graduating and growing up. I just needed to shake the thoughts away and enjoy the life I was currently living. Yeah. I just needed to do that.

I found Trish and Dez sitting at some random bench near a huge Palm tree. Considering we lived in Miami, tons of people could find those anywhere they went. Austin was seated right next to Dez, who was staring at Austin with curious eyes. Austin was randomly tapping his fingers, his black sunglasses perched on his nose. Furrowing my eyebrows in confusion, I stalked over to them and quietly sat down. Why on Earth was Austin sitting with Trish and Dez?

"Hello." I said.

"There's our soon-to-be-eighteen girl!" Trish squealed. "How are you today? Did your Mom prepare that special breakfast?"

"Uh, no," I laughed. "I'm almost eighteen, Trish, not eight." Then I frowned. "Although I could have gone for pancakes and not Cheerios."

Trish put a hand to her chest and bit her lip, sniffling. "Dez, our little girl is growing up. Oh my, God, someone hand me a tissue. It's getting emotional in here."

I smiled, and then turned to Austin. I didn't know if he was looking at me or not because of his sunglasses but I looked at him anyway. "Hi."

He slowly removed his glasses with his fingers and stared at me, a smirk playing at his lips. "Beatles girl." He nodded at me.

Then I turned to Trish and Dez, pointing a thumb at Austin. "Why is he here?"

"Ouch, Beatles girl, you always find a way to break my heart," He sighed. Trish tsked from beside him and snapped her fingers, shooting me a glare.

I rolled my eyes at them. "All right, what's this about?"

"Ally, stop being so inquisitive," Dez shook his head.

I pointed at Dez. I also realized I had been pointing at people a lot these days. "Did he actually just use the word _inquisitive_?"

Trish nodded vigorously and pursed her lips. "Weird, right?"

"As much I'd like to stay here and chat with you, I've got things to do," Austin put on his sunglasses again. His head turned towards me. "Goodbye, Beatles girl."

"Why was he here anyway?" I asked, watching Austin walk into the hallway through the front doors. Trish just shrugged, but I could see a smile forming on her lips. I squinted at Dez, who had his lips pursed tightly shut. It was easy to break him, and I had mentioned that when I wanted to know something, I took matters into my own hands. Obviously, Trish and Dez had something planned, and I think Austin was in on it, too. "What are you guys hiding?"

"Nothing," Trish and Dez replied simultaneously, flashing me innocent smiles. I crossed my hands over my chest and pouted. "You guys were always bad liars. I don't like it when you do something behind my back! Tell me! Does it have to do anything with my birthday tomorrow?"

"Look, Ally, you're too uptight and stubborn," Trish said, putting down her magazine. "Loosen up, will you? Just enjoy your last day of being seventeen. Don't put too much thought into it, you'll get a migraine. Let's get to class."

"But…"

"Ally!" Trish and Dez yelled.

"All right, fine, I'm sorry, sheesh."

* * *

"Hey."

I looked up from my book. It was no surprise that I was sitting in the Library. It was a surprise when I saw _Dallas_ – emphasis on _Dallas_ – standing right in front of me. Immediately, I shut my book and cleared my throat, struggling to act normal.

"Who, me?" I said, looking sideways.

Dallas laughed and pulled a chair out, sitting down. "Yeah, you. It's Alison, right?"

I nodded. A few of the bruises that Austin gave Dallas had started to heal, but it was still visible. I would be lying if I said I didn't have this tiny crush on Dallas. It was tiny – tinier than the atom itself. It's just that…Dallas was such a gentleman. Even with the bruises on his face, he still looked pretty handsome.

"What are you reading?" He asked, smiling. I looked down at my book then up, trying to find the right words to say. I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of the hottest and sweetest guy in school. It was enough that boys thought I was a freak.

"I-It's called _The Gatsby Great_," I answered, but then immediately shook my head. "I meant _The Great Gatsby_!"

He laughed again, and I felt as if there were a tornado of butterflies in my stomach. "You don't have to by shy or anything. I'm just trying to hold a conversation. I had a Math test, but I finished it earlier."

"Me too!" I replied, a little too enthusiastic to my liking. I cleared my throat again. "I mean...yeah, me too."

"So, listen," He said, tapping his fingers. "I keep noticing that Austin-" He scowled at the name. "-keeps talking to you – occasionally that is. I just…I just wanted to tell you that you should be careful. He isn't exactly a good person."

I honestly didn't know how to answer him. I mean, sure, yeah, Austin had done pretty – possibly illegal – bad stuff, but that didn't mean that he was entirely not a good person. I didn't know, really. I, myself, was confused, so I just ended up nodding.

I wanted to tell Dallas that Austin wasn't all that bad. But I was even more confused to why I actually wanted to defend him.

Dallas smiled. "I'd really hate to see you get hurt or upset."

And images of Austin totally vanished, and I was left smiling wider than my Mom on my birthdays. Dallas smiled back. And we just sat there, from across each other, _smiling_. It was perfect.

Then, the bell rang.

Dallas got up. "I've got football practice now. You should come and watch me sometime. I'd really like that – your company. Oh, and, Ally? Have a nice birthday tomorrow."

The butterfly tornado grew stronger.

"Thank you." I squeaked.

When Dallas was out of sight, I couldn't contain my excitement. Dallas flirted with me. He actually flirted with me. Well, at least I hoped so, because I wasn't really good at those romance signs and all that jazz. I just knew that I had to tell Trish what happened.

Placing my chin on the palm of my hand, I stared at the ceiling and pictured scenarios of Dallas and I being in a relationship, and graduating together, and then being together for a very long time until we get married and live in the Bahamas with our children.

That sounded great, and it was probably bound to happen soon. Or not. A girl could dream, though, right?

* * *

"Beatles girl."

"What do you want, Austin?" I said, holding the door open for him.

He was holding a large container in his hands. "Nice to see you, too. Oh, I'm fine, how about you?"

I rolled my eyes.

He shrugged and handed me the container. "You've met my Mom, and I think she adores you a little too much. Since it's your birthday tomorrow, she decided to bake you a cake."

I smiled. "That's so sweet! Thanks."

He nodded, no expression on his face, and then turned around, ready to leave.

"Hey, wait!"

He turned around, and the smirk returned. "I knew you couldn't get enough of me."

"Your head is way too far up your ass, Austin," I retorted. "Anyways, where are you going?"

He smirked wider and winked, and I gave him a disgusted glance. "Never mind. Just don't get drunk because this time, I won't be outside at twelve o'clock midnight to help you. Capiche? Thank your Mom for the cake please."

"All right, then, Beatles girl."

"Did Trish and Dez tell you anything about a surprise…or something like that?" I asked, rocking on my feet.

"Nice try, Beatles girl," Austin said. "But, I'll give you a hint. It involves a gun, and let's just hope you can tolerate a sting here and there."

"They're going to kill me?"

He gave me a flat stare. I shrugged and laughed.

Austin shook his head. "You're unbelievable, but you sure are something."

"Thanks," I smiled. "I try."

"Goodbye, Beatles girl."

"Goodbye, Austin."

* * *

_**Read. **_

**I ****know, I know. This was a really late update. But the good news is that I have finished my finals (exams) and I officially got out of school yesterday! Hooray.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I promise I'll try to update earlier. Thank you all for the lovely reviews, but I'd like to state that I know how this story is going. Some of you told me that you wanted me to speed up Austin and Ally's relationship, but that doesn't work like that. It needs and definitely takes time, so if you will please…**

**And, yes, I remember that Ally has a dog. Awkward. ****I don't want this story to be short and quick, so you won't be seeing a kiss until later on. But you never know what I have planned. winkwink. Also, Austin hinted as to what Trish and Dez have planned for Ally's birthday? Has anybody guessed what it is? **

**Again, what are some of your most played songs at the moment? **

**This time, mine are Hell Above by Pierce The Veil, Free Now by Sleeping With Sirens, and Wonderwall by Oasis. **

**If you recognize the songs or the bands then I freaking love you. **


	9. Note

I'm sincerely sorry if you thought this was an update, but, frankly, it is not. But don't worry, I've already started working on the chapter! Here's the thing, though: I recently received a PM from a fellow reader that someone on Wattpad has been copying my ideas to add into their story – and they have.

The first thing I did?

I laughed.

This author used my ideas for her story. You can clearly see it. If you'd like to read this story, it's called _The Nerd and The Bad Boy _by_ rauramynch_. She deliberately copied what Ally was thinking when she was in Austin's house, trying to steal something valuable. She copied the dinner part and the kitchen scene and how Austin's mom was divorced. She copied the part where Trish and Dez were telling Ally to get revenge. She copied the butt naked idea. She copied the picture of Austin and his dad holding fishing gear. She copied Ally's thoughts, and right now, I don't care if I'm repeating what I'm saying.

All in all, I'm quite angry yet amused at how she thought stealing my ideas would get her more viewers and shit. It might have did, but I'm not really going to stand for that. I'm obviously not going to let her steal any more of my ideas. I hope she sees this note and decides to do something about it.

She copied my ideas from the dinner part to Ally getting sick and shit. Sorry if I'm coming out as a rude bitch, but this is _my_ story for fuck sake.

Sorry for the rant and the profanities. I just needed to say that. Thank you all, and chapter nine will be updated soon! I just want to thank you all for the lovely support! At this point, I'm giving you all virtual hugs and cookies.

i lOVE YOU ALL SO MUCh.


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